A YOUNG mother left her two children alone for three hours in her rubbish-filled house while she went out partying, a court heard.

The Bury woman’s four-year-old son was later found wandering the streets half dressed in freezing conditions by a neighbour, before shocked police officers later discovered his two-year-old sister in the property surrounded by piles of dirty nappies.

At Minshull Street Crown Court, Lisa Boocock, prosecuting, said the 20-year-old mother had left the house at around 7.30pm on January 23 to go to a friend’s to borrow a credit card.

She had also booked a taxi for 8.30pm to take her to Heywood, where she was later found to have spent the rest of the evening.

Around 10.30pm a shop worker was walking home when he saw a little boy walking down the centre of the road wearing just a T-shirt.

Ms Boocock said: “The boy showed him back to the family home which was about 50 metres and such was the concern from the resident after he saw the state of the back of the house, and that there was another child at the address, he called the police.”

Officers attended but struggled to get into the house due to the amount of rubbish outside.

“The back door was essentially covered with a wall of rubbish which was described as being five to six feet high,” said Ms Boocock. “The garden smelt putrid and within the wall of rubbish were used nappies and old appliances."

Inside the house, officers found “squalid conditions” with rotting food in the kitchen and rubbish strewn everywhere.

“The girl was clearly very cold and upset and she was crying and calling for her mother repeatedly,” said Ms Boocock. “She was comforted by the officers and handed a blanket from the police car to warm her up.

“The police officers describe inside the house as being in some of the worst conditions they had ever seen in their long careers."

The officers found a video of their mother on social media which showed her consuming alcohol.

“When she was taken into custody she was found to be carrying several canisters of laughing gas,” added Ms Boocock.

In police interview, the woman initially lied about what happened saying she had booked a babysitter before saying she had left the house to commit suicide.

Judge John Edwards told the mother: "To have the care of two children is a huge responsibility and a massive privilege.

“This was in the middle of the pandemic when you effectively abandoned them on a cold January night to go partying.

“The difference between the efforts you made to enjoy yourself and the lack of care you gave to your two children is very stark.

“Anything could’ve happened to them and they deserve a lot better than that. I read it has been a successful reunion with them and they are in the right place with you but please never do anything like this again.”

Judge Edwards made the woman, who pleaded guilty to two counts of neglect, the subject of an 18-month community order with 25 rehab activity days.

“Don’t look after yourself at the expense of those two young children,” he added.